In a move reminiscent of her boss's previous actions, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has taken a defiant stance against a long-standing Washington tradition.
According to Irish Star, Leavitt announced she will not attend next month's White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner, following former President Donald Trump's pattern of boycotting the event since his memorable roasting by Barack Obama in 2011.
The 27-year-old press secretary revealed her decision during an appearance on former White House press secretary Sean Spicer's podcast. Her announcement comes amid escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the White House press corps, particularly following recent changes to media access protocols and the controversial removal of the Associated Press from the White House pool.
The WHCA, established in 1914, has traditionally controlled the rotation of White House pool reporters granted special access to the president. This arrangement changed dramatically last month when the White House began intervening in the selection process of pool reporters, creating unprecedented friction with the press corps.
The Associated Press faced removal from the pool after refusing to comply with Trump's executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America." This decision marked a significant departure from established media protocols and further strained relations between the administration and traditional news outlets.
Leavitt has accused the WHCA of operating a "monetized monopoly" over White House reporting. Her efforts to reshape media access have focused on excluding traditional outlets while favoring right-wing platforms.
The annual WHCA dinner, often dubbed the "Oscars of Washington," has been a cornerstone of presidential traditions since Calvin Coolidge's attendance in 1924. Every president since then has attended at least once, with Trump being the sole exception during his first administration.
The event, scheduled for April 26 this year, traditionally serves as a bipartisan gathering where journalists and notable guests come together. It represents a rare opportunity for presidents to demonstrate their ability to laugh at themselves and engage with the press in a less formal setting.
Trump's last appearance at the dinner in 2011 became infamous after then-President Obama delivered a biting comedic routine targeting Trump's birther conspiracy theories. The moment has since been viewed as a potential catalyst for Trump's subsequent boycott of the event.
Leavitt shared her perspective on the WHCA, stating:
This is a group of journalists who've been covering the White House for decades. They started this organization because the presidents at the time were not doing enough press conferences. I don't think we have that problem anymore under this president.
The press secretary also criticized the WHCA's exclusivity, saying:
We thought it was time to expand the coverage and determine who gets to be part of that 13-person press pool, who gets to ask the president of the United States questions in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One.
The White House press secretary's decision to skip the WHCA dinner represents another significant shift in the relationship between the Trump administration and traditional media outlets.
Leavitt's announcement aligns with ongoing efforts to reshape White House media access protocols and reflects the administration's broader strategy to bypass conventional press channels. The move suggests Trump will likely continue his practice of avoiding the annual dinner during his second term, further cementing his break from this longstanding presidential tradition.
